Friday, 8 January 2010

Hello again! I hope you had a Happy New Year and that 2010 brings you success and satisfaction.

Whenever I'm writing a business communication I always ensure at least two people proofread the copy. That's for internal use. When copy is being used in a customer communication or for sales/marketing purposes you would think the company sending it would make doubly sure there are no errors.

The team at my insurance company is either very rushed or has failed to get someone to check the bulk text message it sent to customers this afternoon. That can be the only explanation for this...

Hi from Aviva, your home insurer. Don't turn off your heating if your away from the cold weather to avoid freezing/burst pipes. No more SMS reply 'STOP'

I know text messages only allow 160 characters and are therefore restrictive, but there really isn't any excuse for spelling errors and poor English. The message was a helpful one and it's not the end of the world. But it does suggest a disappointing lack of care and attention and may have caused them a little unnecessary embarrassment.